Old High St Stephen's facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Old High St Stephen's Church of Scotland |
|
|---|---|
Old High Church
|
|
| Denomination | Church of Scotland |
| Churchmanship | Presbyterian |
| Administration | |
| Presbytery | Inverness |
Old High St Stephen's Church (in Scottish Gaelic it's called Seann Eaglais Ard) is a special church in Inverness, which is the main city in the Scottish Highlands. It's part of the Church of Scotland.
This church was formed on October 30, 2003. It happened when two church groups, Inverness Old High and Inverness St Stephen's, joined together. Usually, when churches combine, one building is closed. But in this case, both church buildings were kept open for services for a while.
However, in January 2022, regular services at the Old High Church stopped. Now, the main Sunday service happens at St Stephen's Church every week at 10:30 AM.
Contents
The Old High Church: A Look Back
The Old High Church group was the oldest church group in Inverness. The church building itself is very old, mostly built in the 1700s. It stands on a hill overlooking the River Ness. People have used this spot for worship since ancient Celtic times.
Some people believe that St Columba, an Irish monk who first brought Christianity to Inverness, founded the original church here. Inside the Old High Church, there's a famous organ called a "Father Willis" organ. It was fixed up in 2010. The Old High Church is considered a very important historical building, known as a Category A listed building. This means it's protected because of its special history and architecture.
The Old High Church building is currently for sale. You can buy it for offers over £150,000.
St Stephen's Church: A Newer Building
St Stephen's Church was built later, in 1897. It was started as a "daughter church" of the Old High Church. This means it was created to help serve more people as the community grew.
The building is designed in a Gothic style. It's made from a type of stone called freestone from Morayshire. A person named WL Carruthers designed it. St Stephen's Church is also a protected building, known as a Category B listed building. This means it's also important for its history and design, but perhaps not as rare as a Category A building.
Where the Church Serves
The church serves a specific area, called a parish. This area includes the city centre of Inverness. It also covers parts of the Crown area and the southern parts of the city. This includes neighborhoods like Drummond and Lochardil.
The Ministers
The first minister (or leader) of the combined church was Reverend Peter W Nimmo. He started in August 2004. Before coming to Inverness, he was a minister in Glasgow.
Currently, Reverend James Bissett is serving as the minister for the church. He is an Ordained Local Minister, which means he is trained and authorized to lead services and help the church community.
See also
